Promises. . .
by Shadow Angel
Summary: In the midst of Zidane's incident at the Iifa Tree, a mourning Eiko finds out that even though two of the ones she loved the most have left her, she still has someone she can count on. . . Someone who needs her as much as she needs him.


Author's Note: First of all, SPOILERS AHEAD!!! If you haven't beaten the game, I don't recommend you read this. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy IX belongs to Squaresoft, which comes as no surprise to anyone present.

Promises. . .

The sky was finally visible.

Now that the Mist was banished forever, the sky could finally be glimpsed through the leaves and thick branches of the Iifa Tree. The setting sun had turned the sky above a beautiful array of colors; shades of ruby, gold, and lavender mixed in what had once been an azure-blue sky.

Eiko gazed up at it, at this familiar sight that had returned to the world of Gaia about a month and a half ago. It should've made her smile, should've put her at ease that she could finally see the sky she had grown to miss in the past few weeks. But she couldn't smile. Not when it felt like her heart was being painfully squeezed in her chest.

"Zidane. . ." The lost murmur escaped from her lips and her throat constricted. A burning sensation in her eyes forced her to close them before a betraying tear could escape. She tried to convince herself that it was because she had been staring at the bright rim of the setting sun too long. But deep in her pain-filled heart, she knew that was a lie.

Eiko looked away from the darkening sky and turned back to the trunk of the Iifa Tree where the others were staring up at it.

The tree that took away one of their own. . .

It was time for closure. That's how Freya had put it when she had told them two days ago at the Alexandrian palace.

"Closure," the Dragoon had said, her face composed into a serious mask, but the tears clearly shimmering in her eyes. "We need to let him go so we can move on. . . I know how it is to hold on to someone dear, and then realize life is passing you by. . ."

Eiko had seen the wisdom of Freya's words, she really had. But the mere thought that she had to give up Zidane in some way had gotten her angry. . . and scared. She had thrown a tantrum in front of everyone, the fear and anger and hurt she had experienced in the last few weeks all balling up into one ugly feeling. Eiko had screamed at all of them, saying that they were all ingrates who were just willing to give up and forget about the man who had saved all their thankless hides at least once in their lives. Then Eiko had run out of there, pathetic tears running freely down her face. She hadn't wanted anyone to see those.

Now, here she was at the Iifa Tree. It had taken the kind, yet stern words of Lady Hilda to even get her to consider coming here.

The Regent's wife had even tucked her in that night. . .

"Eiko?" A tremulous, shy voice called quietly.

The young Summoner suddenly blinked and shook her head, realizing that she had been lost in the thoughts. Her green eyes finally focused on the small figure wearing the floppy pointed-hat and the blue coat. His glowing golden eyes blinked at her uncertainly.

"Eiko, a-are you okay?" Vivi asked quietly.

Annoyed that she had been caught like this, Eiko suddenly frowned at the shy Black Mage, making him back off a step. "Of course I'm okay," she huffed. "You should warn someone when you're coming, though. Don't you know it's not nice to sneak up on people?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry," he apologized, even though he was sure he had given fair warning. He had been calling her name as he approached and had even tripped once, but obviously, she hadn't seen or heard. She had just been staring off into the distance, a sad expression on her elfin face. That's why he had approached her. Eiko had helped him many times when he was sad, or scared, or unsure. He thought it was about time he helped her, too.

She nodded then turned back to her view of the sky, which had by now darkened enough that a few stars were winking into view. She was aware that Vivi was still there, standing behind her, and she could clearly see in her mind's eye the way he was probably fidgeting nervously, unsure of what to do or say. So, she made it easy for him.

She sat down on the root she had been standing on and patted the spot beside her, silently inviting him to join her. She was aware of his hesitation, but eventually, he sat and they both stared up at the purplish sky.

"How are the others doing?" She asked softly, noticing how their legs dangled over the edge. She didn't bother to turn around and check for herself. She'd been avoiding them since they arrived here about an hour ago. Not because she was angry with them or anything, she had gotten past that. But, for some reason, she felt like she couldn't mourn with them. Everyone had thought of Zidane in a different way. . .

Vivi stared at his gloved hands, while Eiko began swinging her dangling feet. She wanted to act as normally as possible, he noticed. "They're all mourning," the boy began. "Freya jumped up to one of the higher branches and hasn't come down yet. Mister Coral used his claw to carve something onto the trunk that I couldn't read. He told me it was in his own tongue, so no one but he could understand it. Quina. . ." Eiko heard the amusement that lightened his tone and she peeked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Quina is cooking a small feast of frogs that s/he plans to leave there for him. Part of the Qu Clan way, but s/he explained to me that you're supposed to _bury_ that stuff with the deceased. . . I just wonder if Grandpa's mad at me for not doing that for him. . ."

Eiko smiled a little at the worry in his voice. "I'm sure he's not, Vivi," she assured quietly.

He nodded and went back to his narrative. "Mister Steiner and Miss Beatrix are staying close to Dagger, but I saw them performing a set of salutes they say they do whenever they lose a fellow soldier. It was. . . nice. . ."

"What about Dagger?" Eiko asked softly as he trailed off. Thinking about the Princess (Queen now, actually) brought Eiko a stab of guilt. Throughout all that had happened, she had not once worried about the young Queen. And Zidane had always told her to keep an eye on the dark-haired Summoner. She had really failed him in that. . .

"Dagger. . ." Vivi sighed, turning a little to stare worriedly at the figure that was kneeling at the base of the giant trunk. "Dagger's been praying ever since we got here, but, she seems to be the one with the most control out of all of us. I haven't seen her completely lose it. . ."

"Meaning I did," Eiko muttered, staring at her shoes angrily.

Vivi immediately became apologetic. "No, no, I didn't mean that! All I was saying was that--"

"It's okay, Vivi," Eiko sighed, interrupting his hurried explanation.

She stared at her shoes and he blinked in consternation at the tears that stood in her eyes. 

"Eiko, I-- you know I didn't--"

"I told you it's okay, Vivi," she murmured, sniffling loudly.

He winced.

But then, she looked up at the dark sky and let her tears fall, feeling them gently running down her face. She couldn't hide it anymore; not when she'd been holding it in for more than a month. Besides, hadn't Zidane once told her that it was okay to cry? If only on occasions like these. "Just promise me one thing, Vivi."

"W-what?" He stuttered, swallowing. Eiko always got him nervous with all of her strong emotions. And her crying was what got him more nervous than anything else. She was such a strong person, unlike him. And to see her crying was like. . . like Zidane dying. . .

His throat constricted again at that thought. He thought he had gotten it under control. He knew what "stopping" meant after all, didn't he? He could understand it on levels the others couldn't yet. He himself would stop someday, too. So why should Zidane's "stopping" make him feel so full of despair?

"Vivi, promise me that. . ."

He turned back to Eiko, who was looking at him with eyes that shone with tears. And he felt his own eyes tear up, too. He was as much of a child as she was, after all. . .

"Promise me that _you'll_ never leave me," Eiko whispered, sniffling. "Promise me that you'll never leave me alone. . ."

"I, I d-don't. . ." he trailed off. How could he promise her that, when he wasn't even sure how long he'd stay on this earth, himself? But Eiko continued pleading.

"Please, Vivi?" She looked at him with lost green eyes; a little girl that needed the reassurance that she wouldn't be alone anymore. That she wouldn't have to fight off all the shadows by herself and that she'd always have someone to turn to if need be.

And how could he not promise her that? When she took care of him as much as he tried to take care of her?

"O-okay. Okay, I promise. I promise, Eiko," he whispered, nodding reassuringly until he felt his hat would fall off. "I promise I wont leave you. . . Not until you're ready, at least." he finished in a much quieter voice. He wasn't sure if she heard that last part.

She squeezed his gloved hands with her own and sniffled one last time, before she reached up and untied the yellow ribbon from her hair. "Thanks, Vivi," she murmured as she took his hand in her own once again and pressed the ribbon into his open palm. "I give this to you as a sign of our undying friendship," she declared when she saw his confused look.

He stared at it for a while, surprised at the gift. "B-but isn't this the one Mog gave to you?" he wondered out loud.

"Yep. But I still have the one she left me after she. . . died," Eiko said, wiping away a stray tear as it slid down her cheek. She had shed enough tears today to cover the next five years. 

Reaching into the sleeve of her dress, she took out another ribbon, this one pink. "This one's mine. It's my only tie with Mog, now."

"Thank you, Eiko," he said, staring down at the ribbon in his hands. Suddenly he looked up at her, his eyes wide. "But, I don't have anything to give you!"

She smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, Vivi. You don't have to give me anything. I gave you that ribbon because it's a tradition I wanted to continue if I ever met a friend like Mog again. There's no need for you to give me something." She smiled at him reassuringly and suddenly stood up, pulling him to his feet along with her. "Now, come on. I want to give Zidane my final respects. I don't want to seem rude, after all."

"Well, what are you planning to do?" he asked, stuffing the ribbon in his coat pocket before running to catch up with her.

Eiko pulled an ornate flute out of the case that was slung over her shoulder. She looked up at the tree as they approached it and smiled sadly. "I'm going to play for him."

She had to stop and go back when she heard Vivi trip behind her.

The End

*So, what do you all think? Should I continue it? You guys tell me! Anyway, please review, okay? I want to know if I got the characters right. ^_^


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